Stronger Than Ever

2023 is proving to be another year of significant progress for Integrated Education throughout Northern Ireland.

In April, the Department of Education in Northern Ireland published its first ever Strategy for Integrated Education, following the passing of the Integrated Education Act (2022).

In the words of the Act’s sponsor, Member of the Legislative Assembly Kellie Armstrong, “I think it’s a start to something we all have been looking for.”

While more than 90 percent of schools in Northern Ireland are divided on faith based lines, our partners at the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) share the vision held by 66% of people in Northern Ireland, who believe Integrated Education should be the main model of education.

Integrated Education has grown from just 28 pupils in one school in 1981 to over 25,000 pupils in 68 schools today. Children from Protestant, Catholic, other faith backgrounds and none, are educated together in the same schools, where the symbols, ethos, and traditions of the entire community are valued and respected.

More parents and schools than ever before continue to engage with the IEF and in March, parents at Ballymena Nursery School voted overwhelmingly in favor of beginning the process of Transformation, with 95% of parents voting to say yes to beginning the process of transformation - the legal process that allows a school of any management type to transform to an integrated school.

Actor and IEF Ambassador Liam Neeson continues to advocate for this vision of a united community and a shared future, saying,

“I am delighted that so many parents across Northern Ireland are choosing an integrated future for their children... I want to congratulate all of the parents, staff, and governors in schools right across Northern Ireland, who are taking courageous steps to ensure children from different traditions, will get to learn and play together, every day, in the same school. You are actively helping to build inclusive communities.”

The Irish American Partnership have been loyal long-standing supporters of our work for so many years, and in doing so they have made an invaluable contribution to Integrated schools across Northern Ireland.